Gernby

iTrader: (1)

I have always followed the rules while pumping gas in my cars, and shut the engine off until I had a baby. Now I leave the engine running while I pump gas so the A/C will continue to run.

I was questioned about this practice a few days ago, so I've been trying to weigh the risks. Please help me come up with as many pro's and con's as possible.

Pro's
1) Baby doesn't wake up, and cry every time I get gas because it's hot
2) I don't cry when I get back in the car because it's hot.
3) Baby doesn't die from heat exhaustion if something bad happens to me while pumping gas (mugging, robbery, drive-by shooting, etc.) Baby deaths due to heat exhaustion in cars seems to be so common in Texas that it barely makes the news.
4) Removing the baby from the car seat is a very dangerous act in comparison to gas station fires. After having a baby, I imagine some sort of injury occurs at least one out of 1,000 times.

Con's
1) Something could happen that would cause a fire because I was pumping gas while the engine is idling, and I can't get baby out.
2) Leaving the engine running increases car-jacking risk while baby is in car. I've heard of this happening, but in all cases, the babies have wound up safe.

I know that there used to be considerable risk decades ago of cars backfiring or sparking (distributors, points, etc.) that caused some elevated risk of fires while refueling if the engine is running, but I haven't EVER heard of a modern car causing a fire or explosion while fueling. Obviously, in mild weather, there's no reason to leave the car running, but when it's over 100 degrees, it only takes a few minutes to kill a baby in a car that isn't running. If someone could PLEASE point me to an article about the true risk of modern cars catching fire while idling at a gas pump, that would be GREAT!

Anyway, please give me some feedback. We are all car enthusiasts here, so hopefully you guys can give me some more pro's and / or con's. Hopefully you guys with kids will respond since people that haven't experienced young children really have NO CLUE about the risks.

Note: Items in red were added after a few post #10.

PhilipMSPT

iTrader: (5)

Turn off the car.

Safety first.

Comfort second.

highstakes

I'd take out the baby, roll down the windows.

ndk83

I think that one con far out weights any of the pros . so, probably not the most convenient but most effective response to ur situation would be fill up the car before you take ur baby anywhere in your car. Plan ahead.
if its a road trip risk waking the baby up remove said baby from the vehicle. If its a sketchy gas station, stay in the car and turn off ur engine. Probably not being very helpful but just my 2 cents

I know you wanted more pros and cons suggestions but my brain isnt working right now, so ill leave that to someone esle

TLe2006

^Leave the baby at home then go pump gas. Besides you'll never know when something happen.

Gernby

iTrader: (1)

Safety IS first. The point of this thread IS safety (if my sarcasm wasn't obvious). If the risk of spontanious combustion during refueling while the engine is running is 1:1,000,000,000 and the risk of me getting involuntarily detained for 15 minutes while fueling is 1:1,000,000 then it is 1,000 times safer to leave the motor running, right?

Gernby

iTrader: (1)

Okay ... one thing I should have mentioned is that I would MUCH rather have input from people that actually HAVE kids. I would probably be on the other side of the fence myself 7 months ago. There is NO WAY I'm going to be able to convince my wife to take the baby out of her car seat every time she fills her tank up. There's also no way that I can ALWAYS fill up the car without the baby in the car. That's just silly talk.

In truth, removing the baby from the seat might be the safest thing to do, but it just isn't going to happen every time. What I'd like to know is what the risks REALLY are. My feeling is that the baby is FAR safer with the engine running.

ndk83

^^Not if ur gonna explode the gas station to kingdom come. If anything the fact that we dont have kids gives us unemotional insight and we can give advise that might be the safest. Ur thinking of ur kids wellbeing and disregarding urs and everyone elses safety.

Start filling ur car up on ur own whenever ur half empty. always keep that **** topped up. inconveinient yes, but im sure u had to do alot of readjustments prior to the baby anyway.

If the baby happens to be in the car turn it off, its better to sweat a little and disturb the baby than option "con" By far the SAFEST option. Not the most enjoyable one, but def the safest.

Gernby

iTrader: (1)

Damn ... if I had thought to add the option of taking the baby out of the car every time you fill the car up, then I would have thought of another con...

4) Getting baby out of a car seat is about as risky and dangerous as anything else a baby faces. It requires extreme skill to not drop the baby face down on the concrete. I would guess that it is at least 10,000 times more dangerous than filling up the car while the engine is running.

Again ... this is not something I would expect people without kids to know.

Gernby

iTrader: (1)

If you can find a single report of any fire that was caused by someone filling a gas tank of a 2000+ model car while the engine was running, PLEASE share. Otherwise, you really haven't added anything of value to this thread.

Faymester

turn car off an open door closest to you a bit (not wide, but enough for a breeze) ... this should prevent the car from getting too hot inside

i agree taking baby out of the car every time is silly & that it probably isn't always going to be possible to get gas w.o baby

even if the odds of something going wrong leaving the car running are low, wouldn't you feel so much worse if that something did happen? never mind blowing up the station (because i agree this seems less likely with newer cars, though not impossible) ... what if some guy comes by and hops in your car and drives off (with baby)

leaving the car running w.o you in it seems like seriously asking for it (and 'it' can be anything if you're not in the drivers seat)

*disclaimer: i do not have kids, do not look after or give care to kids, and to be perfectly blunt I do not really like kids near me ... i did not let this influence my answer

Mesca

iTrader: (28)

I'd say most definitely turn off the engine. Crack open all the windows/moonroof a bit and stay near the car.

Kaydee

I heard on the news a couple years back that a mother left her children in the car (age 5 or 7) at the mall with the engine running...when she came back her kids died from carbon poisoning...something about the freon that isn't good for the health

pbm317

All gas stations I've ever been to post signs to turn the car off while refueling. I'm sure it's not for nothing, modern car or not.

sdub74

Just roll down the windows. Usually, the pumps are in the shade, so even in summer time, the baby isn't going to be sitting in direct sunlight. It takes less than 5 minutes to fill up the tank, it's not going to get that hot in the car in 5 minutes.

I think the risk of the baby being mildly uncomfortable for ~5 minutes is worth taking over the chance of the car blowing up, being stolen or whatever, no matter how low those odds are. There's a reason they put up the no smoking/turn off the engine signs.